Tourists have two top draft picks on roster

Published: Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:43 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:43 p.m.

ASHEVILLE — On the same day Major League Baseball teams across the nation held Opening Day, the local boys of summer returned to McCormick Field for this year's Asheville Tourists' Media Day.

The Tourists are back to defend their 2012 South Atlantic League title and are hoping to do so under first-year coach and former Asheville player Fred Ocasio.

Headlining this year's Tourists' roster are two first-round draft picks from the June 2012 draft: David Dahl and Eddie Butler.

Dahl, a native of Birmingham, Ala., is the top-rated prospect in the Colorado Rockies organization by MLB.com. Last year in rookie-league ball in Grand Junction, Colo., Dahl batted .379 with nine home runs and 57 RBIs to earn the Pioneer League Player of the Year.

Butler, of Chesapeake, Va., is the sixth-best rated player in the Rockies organization by Baseball America. The 22-year-old had a league-best ERA of 2.13 and ended his rookie-ball season with a record of 7-1.

Two members of last year's championship team will return this season: Rosell Herrera of the Dominican Republic and Drew Beuerlein, who are both infielders. There are also two other former Tourists who are also returning: Josh Slaats, who pitched for the Tourists in 2011, and Jonathan Vargas, who pitched in Asheville in 2010.

Ocasio managed several of this year's Tourists team in the Northwest League last season. Ocasio returns to Asheville for the first time since he was a Tourists player in 1995.

The Tourists open the 2013 season on the road at West Virginia on Wednesday for a four-game series, then head to Lexington for a three-game stint. They return to McCormick Field on Thursday, April 11, for their home debut at 7:05 p.m. against the West Virginia Power.

The 2013 Henderson County Day at the ballpark, which is sponsored by the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce, will be held Sunday, April 28. Chamber members will receive discounted tickets for that day's game. Single-game tickets are available at the McCormick Field box office. For more information, contact the Tourists' front office at 828-258-0428.

<p>ASHEVILLE — On the same day Major League Baseball teams across the nation held Opening Day, the local boys of summer returned to McCormick Field for this year's Asheville Tourists' Media Day.</p><p>The Tourists are back to defend their 2012 South Atlantic League title and are hoping to do so under first-year coach and former Asheville player Fred Ocasio.</p><p>Headlining this year's Tourists' roster are two first-round draft picks from the June 2012 draft: David Dahl and Eddie Butler.</p><p>Dahl, a native of Birmingham, Ala., is the top-rated prospect in the Colorado Rockies organization by MLB.com. Last year in rookie-league ball in Grand Junction, Colo., Dahl batted .379 with nine home runs and 57 RBIs to earn the Pioneer League Player of the Year.</p><p>Butler, of Chesapeake, Va., is the sixth-best rated player in the Rockies organization by Baseball America. The 22-year-old had a league-best ERA of 2.13 and ended his rookie-ball season with a record of 7-1.</p><p>Two members of last year's championship team will return this season: Rosell Herrera of the Dominican Republic and Drew Beuerlein, who are both infielders. There are also two other former Tourists who are also returning: Josh Slaats, who pitched for the Tourists in 2011, and Jonathan Vargas, who pitched in Asheville in 2010.</p><p>Ocasio managed several of this year's Tourists team in the Northwest League last season. Ocasio returns to Asheville for the first time since he was a Tourists player in 1995.</p><p>The Tourists open the 2013 season on the road at West Virginia on Wednesday for a four-game series, then head to Lexington for a three-game stint. They return to McCormick Field on Thursday, April 11, for their home debut at 7:05 p.m. against the West Virginia Power.</p><p>The 2013 Henderson County Day at the ballpark, which is sponsored by the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce, will be held Sunday, April 28. Chamber members will receive discounted tickets for that day's game. Single-game tickets are available at the McCormick Field box office. For more information, contact the Tourists' front office at 828-258-0428.</p>